formation: beyonce, sb50 and the backlash of...
TRANSCRIPT
Race issues today Black Lives Matter and All Lives Matter
Syria and the good/bad immigrant dilemma
Super Bowl performance being labeled Anti-White and Anti-Police
The Oscars, Stacy Dash and Jada Pinkett-Smith
The Olympics and Coverage of Black Female Athletes
Recent African-American UCDavis student physically assaulted for being Black
● Protest and press conference
The Unequal Opportunity Race video uproar
Recent police brutality
Janet Helms: Theory of White Student Identity Development--1993
Phase 1: Abandonment of Racism
● Status 1 Contact ● Status 2 Disintegration ● Status 3 Reintegration
Phase 2: Defining Non-Racist White Identity
● Status 4 Pseudo-Independence● Status 5 Immersion-Emersion ● Status 6 Autonomy
William Cross’ Theory of Black Student Identity Development
5 phase developmental theory of acquisition of Black Identification
● Pre-encounter● Encounter ● Immersion-Emersion ● Internalization ● Internalization-commitment
FormationGroup Activity
Pair Share
Discuss imagery/Lyrics
Discussion QuestionsWhat feelings came up for you when you watched the video?
What thoughts do you have about the video?
Did anything surprise you/confuse you?
What messages are you seeing in the video?
Do you think this video is important? Why or why not? To what/whom?
Beyonce Backlash:Social Media, White Supremacy,
and the mixed response to Formation (and SB50 Halftime)
Stay Out of Formation
“People like Peter King, have tweeted "Beyonce Formation video & #SB50 act was anti-police, shameful. Repeats big lie of Michael Brown innocence. Cops deserve support, not criminals."
“Here's the point. The point is that there are a lot of civil rights leaders that Beyoncé could emulate and talk about. Black Panthers are not someone that need to be emulated.”
"slap in the face to law enforcement"
“Even some police departments have gotten in on the action; one Tennesee Sheriff even suggested that cops were being killed because of Beyoncé.”
Get In Formation
“The call for Black women to get in formation, get information, and celebrate their power gave me chills. You hear a lot about “Black excellence,” and Formation is a potent reminder that Black excellence isn’t something created by white people congratulating themselves for bending down to hand out opportunities. Too many of us define “white ally” as “someone who is desperately needed by Black people to help them, and therefore deserves all the cookies.” Black excellence is already there, has always been there. It doesn’t need white validation, and the lack of fucks Beyoncé has for white validation from the center of her Black power is giving some white people fits.”
“My fellow white people: Listen. Listen. Listen. This is a Black moment, rarer than rare in this culture. If you don’t like the way Black artists portray white people, work on changing the impact of white people in Black lives, not on telling Black people they’re wrong about their own lives.”
But I’m here to say something else — if you check the “caucasian” box on a job application, your place is in the bleachers for this dance. It’s time for us to stop singing along — to Formation, to Kendrick Lamar’sAlright, to any song that has the N-word or celebrates blackness in a way we will never understand. Our ancestors signed away that right when they signed their names to contracts that said they owned human beings or signed tabs in restaurants that didn’t allow “colored people.”
DiscussionWhat are your reactions to some of the quotes/articles?
Thoughts? Feelings?
What else have you heard that we did not showcase in the last few slides?
How is the backlash related to the racial issues that are currently at the forefront of the conversation in the US?
What’s Next● Gender and Performance Politics in historically White and Black Spaces● On Tour -- Police -- Nation of Islam -- Moment of Silence ● Media censorship -- Blame -- Open Letter -- Call out to BeyHive ● Further critique of Beyonce’s use of Race, Gender and appropriation of the
Queer Experience
● How do we create spaces for students to tell and/or express their lived narratives within Student Housing? Orientation? First-Year Experience? On campus?
ReferencesEvans, N. J., Forney, D. S., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Barnes, T. (2016). The Secret Meaning Behind Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé's Halftime Performance. Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://mic.com/articles/134597/the-secret-meaning-behind-coldplay-bruno-mars-and-beyonc-s-halftime-performance#.G0Gyx9JC6Barnes, T. (2016). The Secret Meaning Behind Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Beyoncé's Halftime Performance. Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://mic.com/articles/134597/the-secret-meaning-behind-coldplay-bruno-mars-and-beyonc-s-halftime-performance#.G0Gyx9JC6Formation Doesn't Include Me - And That's Just Fine. (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://thecauldron.si.com/formation-doesn-t-include-me-and-that-s-just-fine-5db8055f8b75#.o7xe9zdukNYPD: We’ll protect Beyonce if she apologizes for Super Bowl halftime show. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://thegrio.com/2016/02/20/nypd-well-protect-beyonce-if-she-apologizes-for-super-bowl-halftime-show/Police union calls for a boycott of Beyonce world tour. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/19/us/beyonce-police-boycott/index.htmlKendrick Lamar won’t face backlash like Beyoncé: Socially conscious art, sexual expression and the policing of black women’s politics. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.salon.com/2016/02/17/kendrick_lamar_wont_face_backlash_like_beyonce_socially_conscious_art_sexual_expression_and_the_policing_of_black_womens_politicEllen, B. (2016). Beyoncé: The superstar who brought black power to the Super Bowl | Observer profile. Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/feb/14/beyonce-profile-black-power-super-bowl-civil-rights Dart, T. (2016). Texas A&M investigates alleged racial abuse of black high schoolers on visit. Retrieved August 12, 2016, from
References continued… http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/12/texas-am-racial-harassment-black-high-school-studentsWhite Fox Analyst Advises Beyonce On Which Civil Rights Leaders She Should "Emulate" (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://mediamatters.org/video/2016/02/11/white-fox-analyst-advises-beyonce-on-which-civi/208522Why Are People Suddenly Afraid of Beyonce's Black Pride? (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/6873899/beyonce-formation-essayBeyonce's Formation Is Not Anti-White, It Is Black Pride. (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from https://theodysseyonline.com/wcsu/beyonces-formation-anti-white-black-pride/311942 Brown, K. (2016). White People Still Cannot Handle Beyonce's 'Formation' Video . Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://jezebel.com/white-people-still-cannot-handle-beyonces-formation-vid-1759502676 We Slay, Part I. (2016). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://newsouthnegress.com/southernslayings/ The Heartbreaking Backstory Of The Voice That Opens Beyonce's New Hit Single. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://fusion.net/story/266893/beyonce-formation-superbowl-messy-mya-new-orleans/?utm_source=twitter Beyonce Formation Messy Mya Murder. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.refinery29.com/2016/02/103203/the-heartbreaking-true-story-behind-beyonce-s-formation Nation of Islam vows to protect Beyonce if the police won’t. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://thegrio.com/2016/02/22/nation-of-islam-vows-to-protect-beyonce-if-the-police-wont/ The Black Panthers - History Learning Site. (n.d.). Retrieved August 12, 2016, from http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-civil-rights-movement-in-america-1945-to-1968/the-black-panthers/